Diagnosing a Broken Ice Maker

When your ice maker breaks, whether it is part of your kitchen refrigerator or a standalone appliance, it might be better to call a professional technician for ice machine repair. Here are some ways that you or an appliance repair technician can diagnose a broken ice maker.

Reset Your Ice Maker

It is possible to do a hard reset of your ice maker’s electronic components just like you would to reset your smartphone or tablet. The actual process varies based on the manufacturer, but the process could be as simple as turning off the ice maker and unplugging it for 5 minutes. There might be a button that you can press for a certain number of seconds before it resets. Your appliance manual or a trained appliance repair technician can instruct you on how to perform this reset process.

Look Up Error Codes

If your refrigerator has an electronic display, you might be able to see an error code for the ice maker. If you search for this code online with the model information, it is possible that you’ll be able to see what’s wrong with your ice maker. Just remember that a code on one model could mean something else on a different model, so it is important that you ensure you have the right model information.

Defrost Ice Jams

Over time, slight fluctuations in your freezer’s temperature can cause ice to melt, stick together, and cause an ice jam. This can happen if the door is left open too long or during normal use of the ice maker. Defrosting the freezer (or the standalone ice maker) can help remove ice jams. This can give you an opportunity to clean out the ice maker and to start with a clean freezer.

Check Your Ice Maker’s Feeler Bar

Your ice maker has a feeler bar that helps it to detect when your ice bucket is full and it can stop making ice. If your ice maker’s feeler bar is stuck, it may not be able to identify when it needs to start making ice again. This is an easy fix as you can simply pull it down to release the bar and to restart the ice-making process.

Issues With Water Line

Ice makers require steady access to water to make ice. If your ice maker isn’t making ice or makes hollow ice cubes, it is possible that there is a problem with the water supply line. It could mean that there is a clog in the supply line or something else that is negatively impacting its water pressure.

Hire a Professional Appliance Repair Technicians

The easiest and fastest way to diagnose a broken ice maker is to hire a professional appliance repair technician to take a look. Depending on what’s wrong with the ice maker, your ice maker could be repair